04/23/2024

To Pacify Regulators, Kroger and Albertsons Will Sell More Stores

The supermarket chains are still hoping to merge

Kroger and Albertsons will sell an additional 166 stores, the supermarket giants announced Monday in an effort to appease federal antitrust regulators trying to block their merger.

C&S Wholesale Grocers, a supplier to independent grocery stores and owner of a retail pharmacy and 23 supermarkets under the Piggly Wiggly and Grand Union banners, has agreed to acquire a total of 579 stores in a revised divestiture deal worth $2.9 billion.

The announcement comes two months after the Federal Trade Commission, along with eight states and the District of Columbia, filed a suit to block the merger, claiming it would eliminate competition, threaten consumers’ access to affordable groceries and undermine labor unions. At the state level, Colorado and Washington also filed separate lawsuits to block the merger.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.